seen...the burden of honesty

"The Truth Shall Make You Free"

Victoria College, University of Toronto

Looking Up...since well before 1923

Loving this old building at Peter St and Adelaide St W, unnoticed by most due to the appendage of the more modern retail facade. What an elegant roof line. Wonder what it was?

Casa Solaris- Bee and Jays' Excellent Off-the-Grid Adventure

As many of our friends here know, we've recently returned from a quick week in our little corner of heaven, the island of Vieques in Puerto Rico. The unintended theme this year ended up being "screw tradition"! Our trip was limited to one week instead of the usual two, it was hastily put together about 6 days before departure date instead of a couple of months ahead and, remarkably, we managed to secure an affordable flight and, best of all, one of the island's scarce rental cars- all on incredibly short notice. So in keeping with the unpredictable aspect of our fledgling holiday, we decided to forgo our customary digs at Hix Island House and stay in their exciting new Casa Solaris structure.

If you've so-far missed the buzz about this place, listen up. Casa Solaris builds on the Hix Island House fundamentals of treading lightly on the planet, but takes them to the next level. The structure, like the five others on the inn's site, eschews air conditioning in favour of capturing the constant trade winds to provide for cooling and ventilation. To do so, large openings without glass face straight into the breezes. A natural and constant air flow is maintained by positioning smaller openings on the sheltered face of the buildings creating a horizontal chimney effect. Those same breezes coupled with ceiling and night table fans provide natural pest control, further validating the lack of glass windows! We come home from HIH feeling like we've spent every minute of our vacation outdoors, and for warmth-starved northerners that's a lot of extra bang for our vacation buck!

Casa Solaris has gone to the next level by completely removing itself from the electrical grid. Up on the roof there are 24 solar photo-voltaic panels that feed the building's electrical system, and two 50-gallon solar hot water panels that more than amply provide each unit's hot water needs. Down in the "Engine Room" is an inverter that converts the direct current electricity from the solar collectors into the regular AC current that all of our homes operate on. The power is stored in 12 large batteries, and to ensure it isn't needlessly squandered, the appliances are all energy efficient, and the light fixtures use LED bulbs.

But enough dry stats- let's let the building's architect John Hix give you the full low-down:

So, you must be asking what kind of sacrifices we had to make to stay at a place so virtuous. Let's face it, we've all been conditioned to believe that giving up oil must entail a compensatory hardship. (In fact, forward thinking designers are now so concerned about this "bad rap" against sustainable living that they're actively fighting to counter the idea of virtuous sacrifice. The most vocal, Danish architect Bjarke Ingels who we covered here, espouses a philosophy of hedonistic sustainability. Instead of forcing us to give something up, he says, let's encourage sustainable practices by actually getting immediate and obvious rewards.) 

Well, guess what? That's exactly what you get at Casa Solaris. If all the good stuff going on behind the scenes wasn't spelled out, you wouldn't have a clue that you were saving the planet! All you focus on is the gracious Caribbean living you're enjoying so much. So let's have a look at what we mean!

The building has six loft units, two on each of three levels. A central exterior staircase capped with a yellow soffit provides access to each of the upper level units. Although we stayed in the loft on the north side of the second level, we had a chance to see each of the three floors. Here's a peek at the loft directly above us at the top of the building. The main difference between this unit and ours is that it has only one exterior terrace; it's on the east end with the sea view down island, and is completely open to the sky above.

Bragging rights: like many of the lofts, this one has photo murals featuring pics taken on previous visits by your intrepid correspondents:

We chose the unit we did because we appreciated the open outdoor spaces at each end of the 2nd floor lofts. As you can see below, after entering from the central stair onto the west terrace there is a complete flow of space through the loft to the living terrace at the other end, with its magnificent sea view.

The entrance gives onto the kitchen which is large and well- appointed. A full- sized fridge is a bonus, as is the gas cooktop and deep sink with gorgeous Grohe faucet. As in all HIH units, the surfaces of the counters and table are polished concrete. We loved the slimmed-down edge profile, and we always put the table to good use. The cabinet fronts, like all the wood in the loft, have a warm gray wash, giving a very contemporary appearance.

As is our wont, we put the kitchen through its paces. With only a couple of exceptions we had all of our dinners at home, as well as fresh tropical breakfasts and delicious lunches.

Opposite the kitchen is a great bank of storage cubbies and hanging rack, all tastefully concealed with a heavy cotton curtain. This storage area leads into the generous washroom with long concrete vanity, another tasteful Grohe faucet, and ample Frette towels, robes, and the inn's trademark Neeva Gayle Shirts. (Think fine cotton mens' dress shirts made extra long...perfect for lounging)

And of course, the signature Hix Island House outdoor shower is just off the bathroom, separated from the terrace with a curving wall that's just high enough. That's it in the picture below, with the towel drying rack beside it. There's nothing better that lathering up while gazing down the island at the blue Caribe, and rinsing off with solar- heated water that's so plentiful you have to keep it dialed back to the cool side.

Of course, all eyes eventually must return to the amazing Cinemascope view (even when you're enjoying the king bed). It's truly mesmerizing in all conditions, and on this level the underside of the upstairs terrace really frames the vista. As captivating as an aquamarine sea view is, watching one of the frequent quick tropical storms approach is a highlight.

Finally, as the day wanes the shadows grow longer and the light becomes golden- truly the magic hour!

So there you have it- our excellent adventure off-grid. What a great week it was! Somehow the spontaneity of the planning and our decision to try out the new lodgings seemed to make each day really count. And what a bonus knowing our pampered days and nights were actually rather virtuous! Hedonistic sustainability- we could definitely get used to it!

*******

Hix Island House

Vieques, Puerto Rico 00765

(787) 741- 2302

info@hixislandhouse.com

Looking up...

The new Casa Solaris at Hix Island House in Vieques.

Big post on this amazing place to follow!

Looking Up- King West Brickpile

A handsome old red brick facade near King and Spadina

Looking Up...

...at the offices of Barr, Robinovitch and Tchobanian.

This pretty red brickpile on Queen St. W. was used as the location for the offices of the legal firm featured in the old CBC drama Street Legal.

Loblaws Maple Leaf Gardens- Opening Weekend

 "before" shot courtesy Fanbase.com

We've been watching the transformation of The Gardens for well over a year, after first waiting and wondering what was to become of the place for more than a decade. Living on a nearby block, we've had perhaps more reason than others to be curious (even apprehensive) about the outcome. What was going to happen to the traffic situation in our neighbourhood? Were they going to do a respectable job of honouring the shrine to the Leafs that is such an icon in our 'hood? Would it help revitalize the ailing block along Church Street where it sits?

We're very happy to report that everybody touched by this massive makeover seems to have come out a winner: Ryerson University is about to get a fantastic athletic facility; Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the company that own the Maple Leafs brand seems to have backed away from its petty and unenforceable insistence that the place not continue to be called Maple Leaf Gardens, and have allowed that name to remain on the historic exterior marquis; a hockey rink will continue to thrive under the storied rafters of the Gardens' giant roof; parking is minimal and is sensibly accessed only from Carlton Street; and the huge windows into Loblaws along Church Street have instantly brought the block back to life. And best of all for us- we have a huge flagship supermarket right next door!

Looking in from Church Street (above)

Ryerson's new rink (below)

The beautifully restored (or re-built?) marquis on Carlton St. (above)

They opened last Wednesday to all day line-ups of the curious waiting to get in, and this past weekend things really didn't subside any. While we were able to walk straight in on Saturday afternoon, by the time we left there were once again police officers at the front doors doing crowd control! We predict things will stay this way till we all go into hibernation mode around January 5th of next year.

The photos below show the great volume that has been maintained in the space. On the second level is the Joe Fresh shop, a liquor store, and a Loblaws cooking school.

We're ecstatic about the on-site Ace Bakery. The loaf we purchased was unbelievably fresh! This is probably the closest we've come locally to the experience of buying fresh bread in France!

We're not sure what use a "wall of cheese" is, other than being a pretty design feature, but we aren't fussed- Church Street doesn't lack for excellent cheese and Loblaws still won't be our first "go to" spot (sorry, Galen!)

 Lot's of freshly prepared food options, right inside the front door.

We love that the wall beside the escalators was kept entirely as found. You can see the old bricks, blue wall paint and the profile of the stairways that used to take you to the nosebleed levels! And the clusters of old blue- level seats welded together to form a 3D maple leaf is great!

The Loblaws folks are to be congratulated for embracing the mythology as well as the bones of this historic Toronto temple to sports and entertainment. What could have been a soul-less supermarket in a building saved but stripped of its former glory is instead a study in how to do it right in today's financial climate. Sure there are those who will continue to decry the fact that such a significant piece of our heritage has been given over to commerce, but who else could have saved it? The old pile of bricks sat for over a decade, slowly decomposing, while being occupied and appreciated by no one. Now it's wide open for Torontonians to enjoy, without even the slightest cover charge. We'll appreciate that with every Ciabatta loaf or bottle of Tanqueray we buy!

 (Above, part of the ad campaign in College subway station)

The Folly at Honeywell Hill

As you may recall, we vacationed this past October "in our own backyard" by renting a charming property called Honeywell Hill just outside of Cobourg, Ontario (Property link here). The land was quite spectacular, rising steeply behind the house to a ridge with views back to Lake Ontario, then gently climbing further to an old stacked log fence, now quite grown in, which probably at one time marked a property line.

A broad opening in the fence row (photo below) leads into an adjoining pasture with views to the north across a forested valley and over to the next ridge. In the autumn sunshine, it was breathtakingly beautiful!

If you continue to follow the path flanking the fence eastward towards a wooded boundary, suddenly you stumble upon the "Sunset Folly". The Folly is an absolutely charming little structure, romantically dilapidated, constructed of an amalgam of old windows, and designed for viewing the long- lingering sunsets of summer.

As with all of Honeywell Hill, there has been a sophisticated artistic hand at work here. The transparency reveals a palette of primary colours, and within- just as throughout the main house- the space is home to art. In this case, the artwork is doing double duty in providing expanded quarters for a family of birds.

We think it's safe to say that it's been a while since anyone actually used the furniture while contemplating nature, so nature has decided to take it upon herself to re-acquire the raw materials...in her slow and deliberate way.

The October sun slips away too far to the south for us to have been able to experience sunset across the meadow at the Folly, but even in the morning light it's not hard to imagine just how magical it must be!

Looking Up- Flaunting Wealth, Old School Style

...at the corner of King St. E. and Jarvis St.

Looking Up... at the Brooklyn Bridge

...on  steamy Saturday afternoon